Possessed
by AsDarknessSpreads
Summary: Why does it feel like it's easier to run, replacing this pain with something numb? why does it feel that it is easier to let go, than face all this pain? to leave the edge of the cliff and fall? to be... possessed? Rated T cuz this is paranoid. P.S. Image is a spoiler. boo!
1. Prologue

**Ohio minna san! I am here with my first multi-chaptered Fairy Tail fic. There aren't much horror fics so I decided to write one. Hope you like this chapter; prologue to be precise. Do review and tell me if it is any good.**

**Disclaimer: I am probably not the gr8 Hiro-sensei. So, I no own. Nahii !**

* * *

**Prologue**

He was running.

He was becoming desperate to get out of this forest. Moonlight shone through the trees, green moonlight. Leaves were being crushed under his overexerted feet. He was so exhausted that even his bangs were sweaty. He didn't have any energy left. But he had to keep on running.

He just could not stop.

He just could not give up.

Because if he did...

A maniacal laughter echoed through the forest. His heartbeat became faster, and breathing unsteady. He forced his feet to move even faster.

The dark mist started to creep towards him. He feared this eerie darkness. But that didn't stop him because it wasn't an option. He didn't even dare to turn around even if he knew he was being followed.

He couldn't stand those green glowing irises.

It was either to run or to get trapped in this place. With that freak.

Darkness kept creeping closer from his sides, but he kept running forward, even if his feet screamed to stop. The forest was becoming thinner, and he could feel the familiar warmth around him. He could see his light among the darkness. He could finally see his nakama.

But... he tripped. He tried to get up but he couldn't. He had twisted his ankle. And as he watched, his only source of light was once again covered by darkness.

"Bad boy. Trying to run off again, huh?"

His breath hitched. He couldn't breathe properly anymore. Reluctantly, he turned around to meet those green irises. He was frozen in place. These eyes freaked him. They would dig out the darkness buried deep inside him. They would torture him.

And he was so mesmerised in the illusions created by these eyes that he could notice anything else. He didn't notice the wicked greenish gleam of the sword in his hand.

The sword that pierced right through his heart.

Maniacal laughter echoed through his newfound darkness.

He didn't want this to happen. He didn't want to be consumed by those irises. He doesn't want to be trapped in this darkness.

He doesn't want to be trapped in his own mind.

"T-Tasukete..."

* * *

**Tasukete is a Japanese word, which means 'Help me!' (Thanx Rhov-san!)**

**Hope you enjoyed. Please review minna and tell me if you could guess the character(s). And do tell me if I should continue. Review!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Ohio! I am back with the first chapter. Hope you enjoy it minna! And don't expect much sweet and cute stuff in the story. All you may get is hopefully spine-chilling and torturing stuff. Bear with me. And do tell if you spot any, even minor, mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I no own. Also the cover picture. I googled it.**

**Chapter 1: Mission**

"Be careful, Lucy!" said one of the two boatmen as Lucy went towards the guild, walking on the edge of the Magnolia canal.

"Arigato!" said Lucy.

It was a beautiful bright morning. Today Lucy decided to take another job with her friends. After all, she has to pay her monthly rent... and she recently spotted a pair of awesome shoes in the famous store... "Whoa! Lucy, focus! Rent is more important. Yeah."

She was still deep in her thoughts as she entered the guild. She was so oblivious that she totally missed table flying towards her, implanting itself on her face.

"Look what you have done flame-head! You hit Lucy!"

"Shut your mouth, ice-head! It wouldn't have happened if you wouldn't have dodged-"

"Uresai! Both of you!"

"Hai!", "Aye!" Natsu and Gray said in union, Natsu turning into Happy-mode.

Sigh... It was another normal day in Fairy Tail.

"Were you two fighting again, boys?" came a menacing voice from behind Lucy. Erza came forward with a deathly aura around her.

As if having years of experience, both of them instantly wrapped their arms around each other and forced a smile. "N-no Erza, we were just... practicing tap-dancing!", "Aye!" and they started to frantically frail around, desperately trying to do something, ending up tripping and falling and making a complete fool of themselves, again.

The dark aura disappeared as soon as it appeared. "Anyways, I want you guys to accompany me in an S-class mission. We have to retrieve missing treasure from the ruins of a mansion for some archaeologists. The reward is very high; enough to pay Lucy's half-year rent."

Gray said, "That seems like an easy one. What's with the high reward and S-class rating?"

"I was thinking about the same thing. It says that they need mages. More than two mages are required. And the only thing the flyer says is that the ruins are under mysterious magic. I found this weird so I selected this one."

"B-But isn't that dangerous? I mean... curses... S-class..."

"oh, c'mon Lucy! We will be fine. No silly curses can stop me 'cause I'm all fired up!"

"Okay! So you guys are in?"

"Yeah!" came three energetic and one shaky reply.

"Okay then. Let's meet today at 11 at the train station. And DONT BE LATE, NATSU."

"A-Aye!"

"So it is decided then. Mira! We are taking this mission."

Mirajane quickly assessed the flyer, her eyes widening just a bit at the image of the ruins, but she quickly hid it with a smile, while making an entry in the guild register. "Best of luck, Erza-san! And do contact us if any problem occurs."

"As you say Mira. Thanks again."

"You're welcome" said Mira and flashed Erza her signature dazzling smile.

_-Team Natsu exits as Team Shadow Gear comes in-_

"Ohio Mira! What's up? You look a bit down." Said Levy, sitting down near the bar counter.

"Good Morning Levy. It's nothing, really. You must be tired. Let me fix something for you."

"Tell me, Mira-san! Don't hide stuff from me!"

Mira paused for a while, took a deep breath, turned towards Levy and said. "Ano Levy-chan, can you do me a favour?"

"What is it Mira-san?"

"A-Actually, I wanted a bit of information about stuff. Can you get some information about the Mystique Mansion for me?"

"Those ruins? But why?"

"That's on a mission flyer. But I have heard not so good rumours about it. Can you help me out? I have a bad feeling about it."

"As you say Mira-san," said Levy and left for the library.

"Sigh... I hope they would be alright..."

_-line break-_

"I am alive!" screamed Natsu in joy as they approached the city. Team Natsu was standing in front of the entrance to the city: Emzorde. They wandered around the nearly empty streets of the city as they searched for their destination. Soon enough they arrived at the base *cough*hut*cough* of the archaeologists.

"who is there?" the guy who opened the door asked them.

"Good afternoon, sir. We are here from Fairy Tail. I am Erza. The pink haired guy is Natsu *it's salmon...*, raven haired is Gray, blonde is Lucy and the Flying cat is Happy *aye!*"

"Oh, welcome in. We have been waiting for you. Personally I didn't think you would come..." he muttered the last part, but it didn't go unnoticed by Erza.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Do sit down. I am Will Neville, leader of this expedition. We came here to extract the missing treasures of the Mystique mansion for the Archaeological Society, but the ruins ended up being cursed. We have tried to call many other guilds but... they didn't ever come. You are the first one to answer our call."

"It will be our pleasure to help you, sir."

"Thank you, young lady. This won't be required anymore, I guess." He took the flyer from Erza, crumpled it and threw it in the nearly full dustbin. He gave a nervous laugh. "The Mansion is at the other side of the city. You can all rest in the nearby inn. Wait for me till I bring my coat."

"As you say, sir."

As soon as he left, Gray spoke up in a low voice, "I don't trust this guy. He acted real strange. And by the way where are his other companions?"

"You are right, Gray. Lucy, do you have spare pages with you?" said Erza.

"Yeah... wait a sec..." Lucy searched through her hand bag and took out a few. Erza then took them from her and crumpled them. Gray immediately understood her motive walked to the bin and picked the upper papers, including theirs as Erza replace them with Lucy's papers. Natsu stayed on guard and soon enough, said, "Incoming"

And on cue, Gray started saying in normal tone, "... and then he tried to run away but- oh, you are back."

"Yes. Hope I didn't keep you waiting. Let's get going," he said. Giving a last look to the room, they exited.

**And there. Hope you liked it. All thanks to ****MentallyDatingGrayFullbuster****, ****RussD3x****, ****rise of the wizards**** and some of my friends for helping me out. Love you all! :) Sorry for a minor cliffy though. Do review minna!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! I am ALIVE! I am sooooo sorry for the long wait! I have been busy. School, you see. Sumimasen minna! Here's a chapter after such a long wait! Hope it is worth the wait. I would post the next chapter till... tomorrow? If i get time. Then i would be busy all over again.**

**Thanks for the reviews till yet. For any questions/corrections in d story/just a chat, feel free to review and PM me.**

**Disclaimer: I no own! Property of Mashima-sensei.**

**So... here it goes!**

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**Chapter 2: Mansion**

_At the guild_

"I am back, Mira-san!" said Levy, followed by Gajeel holding dozens of books. Mira cracked a small smile, seeing the soon-to-be couple, according to her matchmaking instincts.

"Keep those on the bar, Gajeel. Thank you so much!" Levy gave him the sweetest smile. Gajeel grunted and walked away.

"Huh... Levy-san, sorry for all this trouble."

"Don't worry Mira! I love reading. And we would soon get the required knowledge."

* * *

_At Emzorde_

"Here we are," said Will. "You may leave for the Mansion in the afternoon. And try your best to come back a-... soon."

"Thank you Mr. Neville. We will try our best," said Erza as they were handed the keys of their rooms. Currently they were in the hall, watching Will Neville's retreating back. After he totally vanished from the sight, they sat down on the sofa.

"Gray, take out the papers." Gray brought those out of his pocket and spilled those in the front table. Each of them took one and-

"W-what is this?"

* * *

_At the guild_

"Ano Levy-chan, any progress?"

"Not much Mira-san. These archoelogical books only have the information that we already have. Only two more are left."

"Okay Levy chan. Let me help you out. My shift in the bar is already over."

"Sure!"

* * *

_At the Emzorde Inn_

"But... but he said we were the first to accept the request!" Currently five request papers were spread on the table, all accepted by different guilds. "Why did he lie to us?" said Lucy.

"This means the bin is actually filled with past requests! This is all so inappropriate! Why is he hiding things from us? Why did he lie?" said Erza.

"Moreover, what happened to all the other people who accepted the request?" said Gray.

There was a long silence. "I think we should ask him about this."

"No," a voice came from outside the window. They all suddenly were on guard when a guy appeared outside the window and said, "I am not here to harm anyone. I am here with important information."

Erza stepped forward with sword point at the guy and said, "What information?"

"It is about the Mystique Mansion."

* * *

"Levy-chan, this book is empty."

"What?" Levy took the book from Mirajane and inspected it. "What is it, Levy chan?" said Mira.

"This is a very rare book. It is about and written by the owner of Mystique Mansion, Drake Emzorde. I found it in the magic section of the guild library. He is the same guy after whom the town was named. All I know about him is that he excelled in... Rune Magic. That's it! It is protected by runes! So all I have to do is crack the runes!"

"Sugoi Levy!"

She concentrated and was able to find and crack the code. "Yes! Though I don't understand why it was so protected. So, Drake Emzorde was the heir of the Emzorde family. This mansion was built by him. In that period, Emzorde used to be a frequently attacked by terrorists and thieves, so Drake cast runes and made deadly traps around his own house, to protect his treasure he had won conquering the other nations... or should I say, by looting them. But..."

* * *

Team Natsu surrounded the mysterious guy. He was wearing a dirty cloak, had black unkempt hair, and had dark pools for eyes that resembled to that of a maniac. He looked as if he had been shaken real bad by something.

"I am Jean-luc Neville, son of Will Neville. Few years ago I and my father came to Emzorde for our mission to find the lost treasure of Mystique Mansion. It used to be a huge mansion when it was created, but all that remains now is burnt runes."

"... When Drake Emzorde, the owner of the mansion was casting runes all over the place to protect his 'treasure', the mansion was attacked by some of the terrorists. he failed to save himself and the mansion was burnt to the ground. The only place that was saved was..."

* * *

"... The place where he hid the treasure," said Levy. "Rumor has it before getting burnt; he was able to cast such a spell which enabled him to do something really unexpected in the magic history. His body was conserved somewhere in the runes, around where he hid the treasure. And whoever else tried to go near the place...

The book doesn't say what happens. I was able to decipher only this much. We may ask Freed if you want to know more." "No, this much is okay... I think I was worrying for nothing. You may keep the book. We might need it"

* * *

"... At some point of our journey, I started to know his true intentions. When I confronted him, he revealed he was here to acquire the treasure and keep it to himself. I was so shocked and angry, I left him there. Alone in the mansion. And I shouldn't have done that. As I told you, Drake's body was hid inside the runes, and by some unfortunate twist and turn, my father ended up there. And when he came back... when he came back, he wanted revenge from me. He had gone crazy."

"What? But... but he seemed completely normal!" said Lucy.

"Yeah. Even I don't know how or why. All I know is that he was not normal... as if he had lost control. His-" he abruptly stopped. "I think I have said enough. This mission is just to allure wizards here. He is still after the treasure. Believe me. You should not go there! It is dangerous! It is haunted!"

Silence.

"Meh! I don't believe you! This is crazy! There is no such thing as a ghost. You are just trying to scare us away or something. I bet you did the same to all other wizards so that you can have the treasure to yourself!" said Gray.

"What? No! You have to believe me! I am telling the truth! How do you explain my father's lies and lack of details then?" said Jean.

After a long break, Erza decided to speak, "I believe you are telling the truth. And I also believe that your father is telling us lies. But we cannot jump to conclusions without investigating."

"W-what?" said a scared Lucy who had been hiding in the corner since who-knows-when.

"NO! You should not go there! It is not safe!" said the archaeologist.

"That is for us to decide. And don't worry! A petty ghost cannot scare us away! After all, we are Fairy Tail! C'mon guys! I am all fired up!" said our energetic dragon-slayer.

"Aye!"

"B-But guys... it is dangerous. Even if no ghost, there are still runes to deal with..." said Lucy.

"Don't worry Lucy! We will find a way. And you still have that communication lacrima so we can easily communicate Levy for that matter," said Erza.

"As you say guys."

"Very well wizards. But if something, anything happens... don't tell me that I didn't warn you. Best of luck." And with that, he went out of the window.

"So... what are we waiting for? Let's go guys!" "Aye!"

As they started towards the mansion, Lucy whispered to herself, "I still have a bad feeling about this..."

* * *

**Sooo... how was it? Hope you guys didn't get confused during the switch from Jean-luc to Levy. Yeah, I stole the names from the anime, Key of the Starry Heavens arc. They are not much important here so... I didn't bother to think them names. :3 **

**Do tell me by your reviews! And if by any chance you like the story, don't hesitate to follow/favourite it!**

**P.S. it is possible that the upcoming chapters would be updated late frequently. I have to cope up with school and coaching classes so I would be real busy these days. Please bear with me minna! **

**Until next time then!**

**Ja`ne!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Yeah. I am fulfilling my promise. Here is chapter 3! Round of applause! *sounds of crickets echo around her***

**Huff... how unenthusiastic of you guys. Anyways, brace yourselves for badass traps, unravelling mysteries and... horror. *boo!* Aaaaand please someone explain me the concept of beta-ing. I only proofread my stories and always feel something is missing or something is really lame and stupid in this part. If anyone can help, please PM me.**

**So... on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I no own. Property of Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 3: Ruins and Traps**

"... Whoa"

"... That's"

"Huge!"

Team Natsu was standing in front of the remnants of the mansion. By judging the structure and design of the place, this surely used to be a piece of architecture. Unfortunately it was gravely destroyed. Judging from the destruction, the mansion was blasted off from left top corner and somehow, the ground floor barely survived. The roof collapsed a long time ago. You can yawn. I bet you got bored. I did.

Erza opened the huge carved doors and stepped inside, others following her. "This is absurd. How the whole floor was destroyed and only this part survived the destruction?" she said.

"You are right. According to the guide book, it consisted of four floors. It is nearly impossible for this part of the floor to survive when those four collapsed on it and nearly destroyed the other parts," said Lucy.

"What do you mean?" said Happy. I had to give him some dialogue.

"I mean that maybe... the protective runes start from this area."

"Hmm. That's right." Gray said. "This means all we have to do now is... search for the least destroyed area among these without touching anything and..."

"...we will find the way to the treasure."

As soon as Lucy said the word "treasure", a silent hum spread around the group. They could sense magic energy activating around them. "Disperse!" said Natsu, but too late. They were already surrounded by runes. "Oh shit... Happy! Wait for us here! Don't follow us!"

Suddenly the floor underneath them disappeared and they were falling down into the abyss, with Happy disappearing from their sight. Gray created an ice slide and they were able to land safely, thanks to him. They had landed in a cave. Well, a long corridor to be exact, with endless darkness on both sides. Natsu tried to step forward when they heard a voice, _"For years have people tried, for long have they struggled. Lives were lost._ _Hopes were crushed. All this was for the long lost treasure. Once you enter, you cannot get away. You cannot get out. The only way to do so is to either complete the game... or die."_

Insert a dramatic silence.

"_Seeker, you have two paths. The path of the past is the path you seek. The other one is where you meet your end."_

"What does that mean?" said Natsu. Silence. "Hey! This is not fair! You cannot leave us like this, you weird voice!" he lighted his arm. "Come here and let me burn you into-", "N-Natsu..."

"What do you want Lu- wh-what is this?!" In front of him laid two skeletons, in old-fashioned dresses. A thin layer of skin covered them and... well, they were dead.

"G-Guys, I don't want to be here. This place even feels wrong."

"No, we can't Lucy. It's either we live or die. We have to complete this stupid game," said Natsu.

"But, But..." she collected herself. It was no use complaining now. "I think we should take the side... this clearly screams of dead people," she then said after a pause.

"Hmm..." said Erza. "I think you are-" "No." Gray cut in. "What do you mean?" "I mean that that creepy voice said "the path of the past". Shouldn't that mean that we are supposed to seek a path which has something old? And those corpses don't seem to be in their childhood."

"Well, now that you said so, it does make sense. I mean, those corpses might just be to fool us." Lucy said.

"Meh, I don't get anything but let's believe the ice block this time then." Natsu said. All of them turned to Erza.

"Hmm... Let's believe you this time. Natsu, lead the way." Erza said.

"Okay! Treasure, here we come!"

* * *

As they continued on their path filled with dead bodies, they realised one thing. These were the bodies of the missing archaeologists and, by the emblem, Wizards. Some of them were even familiar. Soon, the mysterious voice boomed again_, "The first trail was passed with the frost on the lead. Eighty percent in this test, failed to exceed. Others who passed were rare, but evil everywhere."_

A barrier of runes appeared in front of them.

"_The filth is within, slowly tainting the whole being. Only few slipped away, others found in the preceding way."_

"That's it? What would that mean now?" said Erza.

"Does that mean only evil people can pass through? We are not evil, right? This means we are joining the friends behind us?" said Gray. They shuddered at the thought.

"No... This has deeper meaning." Lucy said. "If any person came here, it was for the treasure. The ones lying behind looked like either archaeologists or soldiers. I think the soldiers were oblivious of what they were doing here, so they could be considered 'clean'. And probably the archaeologists were too... no. I bet normal people might have passed by and were trapped here... hmm..." she thought for a moment, then, "Yes! That's right! The darkness within... this probably means the past! As in the first clue! This means the person with the not-so-pleasant past..."

She went over the barrier and lifted up her hand. "Be careful, Lucy!" She moved it forward, slowly. Soon her finger tip was millimetres away. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and passed through!

"D-did I do it guys?"

"Yeah! Sugoi, Lucy!" Slowly, one by one, they all passed through. But the celebration was short lived.

"_And another success, because of the princess. What lies ahead is the path for death. Turn around or read between the lines. Find the reason or face the fate"_

"_What lies ahead is the way of creation. With iron would come eternal damnation. Only the fit, only the strong, will be able to pass along."_

"Yes! Finally some action!" said Natsu. Yes, he was listening. "I am all fired up! Come out and fight me!" and he stared to run ahead. Thankfully he lit his hand for light, or else he would have been difficult to track.

As they followed Natsu, they heard faint clicking noises. And suddenly, Erza gasped in realization, "Natsu, stop!" Hearing her scary voice, he abruptly stopped. And he was just saved from falling into the abyss which was just spontaneously created.

Everyone stood still. The clicking sounds kept on increasing when suddenly, "GET DOWN!" Gray shouted. As soon as he said it, an arrow flew past him, grazing his shoulder. They all ducked as more arrows flew above them. Finally, it stopped.

They all stood up, Erza saying, "Metalwork. Weapons. It explains the riddle. Though I am still concerned about the former lines."

And by this, they had passed the third test.

* * *

"Humph. This is not fair!" Natsu whined.

"What is it now, flamehead?" said Gray.

"This is not fair! This mission was supposed to be s-class, assuming the mission was real. But all this was too easy! I expected some real action! This is just solving petty puzzles, and walking on the 'path of death'! This is stupid."

The group abruptly stopped, Natsu turning back to look at their pale faces. "What happened?"

Lucy broke the silence. "You are right. Drake Emzorde, apart from his dark works, was famous for his great skill in rune magic. If I am not wrong, he might have been even stronger than Freed. If he was really that desperate to save his treasure, he surely would have created something better than this. Even Freed can create runes better than this"

"Yeah. We didn't even get to have a proper fight. All we did was solve the riddles. There is supposed to be something more to this.

"You are right," said Gray. "Something is really missing here. It is something even deeper... darker... This is not right. 'Read in between the lines', dig the deeper meaning. Is... is it really the treasure we were supposed to seek? In the start, the voice said 'seek the long lost treasure'. If it is lost, what are we seeking? W-what is going on? W-what have we gotten ourselves into?"

"Gray..." said Natsu.

Suddenly, the voice boomed, the mysterious voice of the Mystique Mansion. _"Queen got you the weapon, but late. But fire within just changed your fate. You cracked the code, the code of the mansion. You get the treasure, with just one last selection."_

And with that, everything turned black.

* * *

**And there! Don't wait for the next chapter, guys! It's a long way to go. You might get to have one if I get time, but till then, don't be very optimistic.**

**Hope you guys won't kill me for the cliffy. Love you all who followed and reviewed! Don't forget to share your views with me.**

**See ya soon!**

**Ja`ne**


	5. Chapter 4

**Look who's here! DJ's back to action! Hope you didn't have to wait that long this time! **

**Enjoy minna!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own.**

**Chapter 4: Discovery**

"_Mysteries still unravelled, roads untraveled. Reaching to a path long avoided. Offering waits for the lingering. Deception and haunting will be what one would be reaching. Wizards, till then, beware! One cannot trust their heart here. Cross this final obstacle and reach the awaited goal."_

"The lines... this doesn't feel right," Erza said in a small voice, also from one of the corners.

"I want to go home..." said Lucy, sobbing slightly, getting up in the sitting position and backing up to the corner of the small room they found themselves in after waking up. Lucy hid her face from everyone.

"W-why did we even come here?" said Gray, sitting in the farthest corner.

Suddenly, flames erupted in the middle of the room. "GUYS! Stop behaving like this! We will get out of here! Don't lose hope." Natsu desperately tried to break the ice. "Lucy... we will get out of here! Gray, please... Erza... what happened to you all of a sudden?"

"Why is this happening all of a sudden?" Gray said, "We were all lively before we completed the third task and then... It all suddenly felt completely hopeless."

"Exactly... I have been feeling the same for a while too..." said Erza. "Gray, what had Jean told us about Drake's powers?"

"Hmm. Rune magic, mind games, psyche control... and many other abilities only known to him," he said, "They may be rare but they have still become old. One can beat those with will power.

"S-so, would that include emotional changes too?" Lucy said, tilting her head upwards.

"One cannot trust their heart... that's it! C'mon guys! Let's cheer up!" said Gray.

All of them made the Fairy Tail hand sign upwards and shouted, "We are fairy tail!"

"Feeling better?" Lucy and Erza nodded at the boys, "Hmm, that should work for now." Gray said. "but... why weren't you affected?" he asked Natsu.

"Because I am a Dragon Slayer!" [AN: Didn't wanna make things complicated. Go figure.]

"Figures..." said Gray.

Suddenly, well, wall disappeared, replaced by two forked and dimly-lit tunnels. One had greenish hue and the other, red. [AN: Guess what. Hasn't this happened before? I think this one was common.]

"_Congrats wizards! You passed the test. Two for frost and one for rest. Destiny is one step ahead, just choose green or red."_

"What? But it said the last one was the last one!" said Lucy. [AN: Confusing?]

"Not fair! I want to go to the one with monsters!" roared Natsu and was about to run forward if not stopped by Erza.

"Stop being stupid, flame-head!"

"What did you say ice princess?"

"BOYS!"

"A-aye!"

"What should we do now? We didn't even get a proper clue this time..." said Erza. "Hmm. Let's divide into pairs and navigate one each."

"But..."

"Lucy, you come with me to the red one. Boys, go to the green one." She said.

"What? No! I want the red-"

"Natsu! Understand the situation! You are not getting monsters HERE! One is treasure, other is a trap. And it could be in any one!" Erza said. "C'mon Lucy." 'I hope this is the wrong path...'

"Move your ass over here, Natsu," Gray said, already at the entrance of the tunnel. 'Till now it has been the opposite of the common. Hope this choice was too...'

As they parted ways, Erza and Gray exchanged a quick glance, suddenly knowing the other's intentions, but not saying anything out loud.

Both of them had a knowing smile on their faces as each pair entered their tunnels of Fate.

The tunnel provided a sickly green light as the boys proceeded. Weird imprints of runes could be seen on the walls. The temperature dropped a few degrees. Everything had become eerily silent.

* * *

"Tell me, ice block. You chose this path intentionally, right?" said Natsu.

Gray had to smirk at this. "So your thick head actually figured something out? That's a first."

"Why you-"

"Natsu, is it only me or... this place is actually feeling very... wrong? I mean... did you feel or smell anything?"

"Well, now that you mention it, before we parted ways, I just got a faint smell of what lied ahead, but it was just a whiff. The red one actually smelled of monsters."

"W-what? This means they actually got the wrong one? Shit! We have to save-"

"Gray! They have Erza! And it was just monsters... or maybe even not. They might even be able to get out."

"What do you mean?"

"Gray. This one smelled... like death."

* * *

"Gate of the Loin I open thee: Leo!" commanded Lucy and, with golden light, appeared Loke.

"How may help you, my dear princess?" said Loke.

Erza was in her purgatory armour, slicing monster after monster, which disintegrated as soon as her blade touched them. "Loke! Go and find Natsu and Gray with Lucy! I will join you as soon as I take care of these monsters," she said.

"Let's go princess. Shoot the details." Loke said, running to the entrance of the tunnel with Lucy.

"Hmm. S-class. Crazy non-existent treasure hunt. Haunted mansion. Runes. Twisted puzzles. Trap. Two ways. We got exit." Lucy said.

"... and they got a problem. Got it," summarised Loke.

* * *

"So, this is the end of the tunnel?" said Gray. In front of them was a wall with ancient runes on them. The temperature had further dropped as the continued on their path and it was so cold that their breath was fogged, not that it affected them.

"Hmm, I think it says-"

"You can read runes?" said Natsu.

"Yes, I read! Is it so hard to believe? When you have to hang around with Levy, stuff happens. It is the same as what had been on the side walls too. It says 'offering, lingering, deception, haunting'. What do-"

Suddenly, the earth started shaking. The runes started glowing on the front wall and a hole appeared in front of them. A huge crate appeared from inside it, with smoke surrounding it. As it fully appeared, the shaking stopped.

"What just happened? Are you alright Gray?"

"Yeah. Seems that I triggered something...-"

"_Offering waits for the lingering. Deception and haunting will be what one would be reaching. There is treasure, treasure for the lingering. Greed and selfishness is the means appealing. Two to Frost, one to rest. Four days till being Possessed."_

A low, spine-chilling laughter filled the place. The trunk slowly opened, filling the place with green smoke. Natsu took a whiff of the smoke. His eyes turned wide and he shouted, "Gray! Get away from the trunk! It is-"

He couldn't complete his sentence. As all he could see was him and Gray being covered by the smoke. His vision started blurring. And the last sound he heard was a distant feminine shout an then everything turned black.

##

I thought I would leave a cliffy here. Then I remembered dat I did the same thing b4. So, yeah. The story continues!

##

The walls of the green passage were crumbling. Traces of genn smoke could be seen as Lucy continued on her way to the boys along with Loke. As she continued running, she could her a distinct sound of clinking metals.

Soon, they could see the silhouette of two people lying on the solid ground.

"Gray! Natsu!" she called.

As the reached closer, they saw that both of them were knocked out cold. There were no signs of violence. No traces of anything else, just plain blank walls.

"Hey! Wake up, Natsu! Gray!" Lucy tried fruitlessly. Small rocks were falling down from the ceiling. "I think we would have to carry them out before everything collapses of us," said Loke. "Okay. I will carry Natsu, you carry Gray."

They picked up the boys and made a run for it. The tunnel had started collapsing behind them, making them run faster. They met Erza at the entrance and then took the red route.

They could see the exit. The small rocks were already hitting them. Suddenly, Lucy tripped and fell, along with Natsu. "Oh no... I think I have twisted my ankle!"

"Natsuuuu!" they heard a distant voice. "Happy! We are here!"

And as fast as lightning, a blue feline appeared, picked Natsu up and made the group follow him to the exit. Erza picked Lucy up, who was just saved from being buried underneath the rocks. Thay finally made it out, with the whole remains of the mansion crumbling behind them.

* * *

**AAAAND there! Missed me? Did you like it? Hate it? Want to strangle the author for pulling a Riordan earlier? Do tell me by your reviews! I would love to hear it from you guys!**

**Ja`ne**

**DJ**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hello again, everyone! I am back! Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites.**

**Brace yourselves everyone! I am back with a lot of horror, suspense and my favourite - angst. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**And *psst psst* the guy will finally be revealed! Round of applause! *tomatoes whizzing past her ears and readers screaming to get on with the story* okay fine! Don't kill me already! Wait for the story to end. *insert another set of creepy chuckles* Here you go.**

**Disclaimer:**** how many times do I have to say it? Well, I don't own.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Mirrors**

_... Imitation... hurt... slaughter... death... imitation... hurt... slaughter... death..._

The four words kept echoing around the ruins. The smoke from the destruction was clearing slowly. Team Natsu, which had escaped to the forest, were hiding behind the bushes.

"Erza... W-why can I still hear voices?" said Lucy, still clutching her foot.

"I don't know Lucy..." she said. Then she suddenly became alert. "Loke, Lucy, Happy, did you hear a voice?" "Y-Yeah..."

"-ray-san, Natsu-san..."

"It's Wendy and Carla!" said Happy and flew off in search of their little comrade.

Soon the sky dragon slayer and the feline had joined them. As soon as she reached the scene, she rushed to Lucy's side and started to heal her.

"Princess, as much as I want to stay, my time is up and I don't want to risk your magic power depletion." Loke said. "Don't worry about me Loke. You may go" and with That Loke started disappearing in golden light, "do inform me what happened, Lucy," and with that he disappeared.

"You can move your leg now, Lucy-san." Wendy said.

"Thank you Wendy. Please see to the boys." Lucy said.

"What?" she moved her head from left to right and finally spotted them under the tree. "T-they are here? I couldn't smell them! They... Why do they smell like this?" she asked as she rushed to their side.

"Well..." Lucy told them what happened while Erza kept watch. The forest was eerily quiet... the same as it had been in the afternoon.

"Happy." Erza said. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly 1 o'clock in the morning."

"What?!" the girls said in chorus.

"Yeah." Wendy said. She had completed her healing task, "They just need to rest now. As I said, I was around this area on a mission so I thought I might join you. I could sense you here. But soon after, around afternoon, I lost your scent when I was at the entrance of the city. I couldn't sense your presence until... I remember... I checked out around 11.30... It took me an hour to find you. I heard the explosion around 12."

"And it might have taken us approximately fifteen minutes to reach the final stage, the tunnels." Said Erza. "If What you say is right, the time in there runs faster... no... The time Outside becomes slower. This is the same as when gray fought the guy Racer..."

"NNgghh..." they heard a low moan from behind. "Natsu!"

"Gray...? Gray! Where's Gray? Is he alright? Gray!" Natsu started to panic. As his sight fell on the still passed out raven, he went to his side.

"Natsu, relax! He is fine. You need to rest! C'mon, let's go to the inn. Tomorrow we will leave for the guild."

"But Erza... are you sure?"

"Yes! Wendy herself healed him! And you too."

"If you say so..." He gave a brief look towards Wendy. He saw her not meeting his eyes but decided to scare her to truth later. Currently, Gray was more important than anything else.

Happy picked Natsu up and Carla picked Gray. They flew off with the girls behind them.

* * *

"Ugh... Where am I?" said a real sleepy Gray.

"We are on a cart Erza is driving. We will reach the guild soon. How are you now?" said Lucy.

"I am fine. But... the mansion, the cave, where... where's Natsu?! Is he alright?"

"Relax! He is passed out in the corner due to motion sickness. He is fine! Oh, you boys... go marry or something..." Lucy said the last part real low. But Gray was too preoccupied to even care.

"Are we there yet?" he heard a small voice.

"Wendy! Carla! Why are you here?"

And Wendy said that blah blah blah.

"We are here!" they heard Erza's voice from in front of the carriage. She got down, removing her SE plug while others helping in unloading her luggage and Natsu screaming "I am free!" in the background.

They were welcomed into the guild and that night was just another excuse for a party- Fairy Tail style!

* * *

"Wendy, I need to talk to you." She should have seen this coming. It was late after midnight and the guild hall was nearly empty. Mira was busy cleaning the bar. Lucy and Gray were passed out on one of the seats and Erza was commanding them to clean the hall as they were the only sober ones left. In other words, she couldn't avoid him this time...

"W-What is it, Natsu-san?"

"Why do I and Gray still smell funny?"

"W-Well... must be because of the cave. It must have been stinking..."

"Erza, Loke and Lucy went to save us there. They don't smell funny."

"M-Must be the smoke..."

"Wendy."

"Okay fine! I asked around. Freed-san said he heard about such runes that could... but he never thought they could be actually used... Master also said the same thing."

"Get to the point."

"Natsu. What was the last thing you heard there before passing out?"

"Hmm... something like two to frost and one to rest... four days till being possessed?"

Wendy eyes widened at this. Her breathing started escalating. She ran to the wasted master and casted her healing magic on him. He woke up and Wendy started blabbering stuff to him.

This didn't go unnoticed by Erza. She, along with Mira and Natsu soon stood around them.

"What happened? Why are you so scared Wendy?"

Master spoke up, "It would be alright. No need to worry. We will find a solution to this... everything will be all right. I am sure." He didn't sound very sure. "He will be alright..."

"Will someone please tell me what the hell happened?" Natsu shouted.

"Umm..." it was Wendy. "Natsu-san, we think..."

The clock chimed. It was midnight.

"We think Gray-san is possessed."

* * *

"G-guys." It was Lucy's voice from behind them. "G-Gray is not waking up."

"What?"

They rushed to his side.

"He was sleeping peacefully when I woke up. I was about to join you when I noticed... there was no sound coming from him."

Natsu was the first one to reach out and shake him like there was no tomorrow. "Oi, droopy eyes! Wake up! It is no time to sleep. Gray!"

His body was cold, too cold even for an ice mage. He was not breathing. He checked for the pulse. It was there. "Oi! Gra-"

Natsu abruptly stopped in mid-sentence. This was because at some moment, Gray's eyes had opened. The white of the eyes were black. And his irises glowed green.

* * *

**Gray POV**

The clock chimed twelve times, indicating it was midnight when he fell asleep.

In the subconscious, he found himself in a very dark, almost black, cloudy space. Nothing could be heard or seen. As the moments passed, the clouds started to form shapes. As it continued, the clouds had been moulded into a very vivid room. As he looked closely, he realised that he was at the entrance of his one-bedroom apartment. Well, he might as well explore.

He entered the living area. The lights were not working, but he then realised this was a dream. The green curtains were closed over the window, shielding the room from light. Or was the light green? He couldn't tell.

He went towards the kitchen when he heard a very low, almost a spine-chilling sigh coming from his bedroom. "Who's there?" he said as went towards the already open door.

"...ray..."

"I said who's there? Come out!"

"... feisty... I like it..." came a distinct low voice from behind him.

He turned around abruptly, only to find nothing there. The door was closed. He made his ice-make pose when-

"... not today, my boy... your chance may come... someday..."

A low chuckle resonated in the room. His magic energy around him faded away, or rather was sucked away.

"Come out! Reveal yourself, coward!" Gray's brain was running and the speed of 10000 km/h. [Not really, kids.] He has heard this voice before... but where?

"...that's true, my dear Gray. You have heard my voice. I like it. Smart, good-looking, strong-willed. Just the perfect vessel..."

The voice was now echoing from everywhere.

"... oh, how much I would love to break this will..."

It was from right this time, distinct and clear. He turned to his right, only to meet his own reflection.

No, something was different. As he watched, the whites of his eyes turned black and his irises started glowing green. his grin widened and the actual Gray backed away to the opposite wall.

"W-what's happening here?"

As he watched, his features started changing. His pale skin became darker. His face grew longer. His reflection turned taller. And suddenly, it was not his reflection anymore. It was a completely different man in his clothes.

" This is not real... this is just a dream... yes. Anything can happen in a dream."

"Wrong." The guy on the other side of the mirror spoke. "This is all real. And anything can happen here."

His reflection's smile widened even more as Gray paled. His irises glowed green, having a mischievous glint in them. The mirror and the walls dissolved into black clouds. It was only him and Gray

"What do you mean?"

"You will know soon, my boy. Very soon. Till then," Gray felt something wet on his hands. "You may have this as an example.

"Who are you?" Gray asked when it clicked to him. It was the voice in the labyrinth of the Mystique mansion. And the voice belonged to...

"Drake Wolcott. And you are about to be possessed." And with that, his image started to disappear, with his face flicking from him to Gray, eyes being the same. And then, everything went black.

* * *

Gray woke up with cold sweat as the clock chimed one. He was breathing heavily. His hand still bled profusely. Was it really happening? Was it really true? No way. It must really have been a bad... nightmare. He might have got wounded while the drinking competition. Or he might just be hallucinating. Yeah...

While thinking all this, he didn't notice a ball of pink near him.

"Gray? Master! He is awake! Are you alright? What happened? Are y-"

"Natsu! What ha- Gray!" they were here.

"What happened to his hand?"

"Here, let me" said Wendy.

His head had a dull pain. "W-What happened? Why are you all so worried?" he asked.

"You were not waking" "You were not breathing!" "Your eyes..."

"Please come to the point!" Although he already knew their answer.

"Gray." It was master. "Child, we think you might be possessed"

No. N-no way...

He just stared at them with widened eyes. The dream was not a dream. Drake injured him. And now he just had four... no, slash that. He had three days to figure out what could be done.

His friends watched him closely with sympathy, worry and many mixed emotions. But his chain of thoughts was interrupted when an eerie voice, the voice that he now despised and feared, whispered in his head-

_... Imitation... hurt... slaughter... death..._

What has he gotten himself into?

* * *

**And there! New chapter with an oh-so-awesome cliff-hanger! *insert creepy laughter***

**I think it's the first time I actually went past 2000 words. Sweet.**

**And now I have got another idea for a fanfiction. This one would be AU though. But I will not write it now. It would be there once I will finish or would be about to finish Possessed.**

**Well, let's hope with crossed fingers that I get more free times soon! Till then, just answer a few questions. Did it creep you out? Just a bit? And how are you feeling after me finally revealing the victim? I would love to hear from you guys!**

**Till then, Ja`ne!**

**DJ**


	7. Chapter 6

**So, this is basically, what do you call it? Yeah, it is a filler chapter. Nothing much. Just building up of the storyline is what you will get. So, yeah. Hope I don't get chased around by ppl holding pitch forks and torches. *frantically looks around for skrtgrl13***

**Thank you for the lovely reviews minna! And follows and favourites too!**

* * *

**Guest review responses:**

**Cristel:**** Here's the update!**

* * *

**So, yeah. On with the story!**

**Disclaimer:**** me no own.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Book**

"Lu-chan!" Levy frantically searched around for her, holding a newspaper, early in the morning. the guild hall was nearly empty. Cana could be found sitting in the corner, well, drinking. Elfman and Lisanna were checking out the mission board. Gajeel was snoring in the corner with Pantherlily. Some were still passed out. Others had left for missions.

Lucy, current sitting with Natsu, Erza, Wendy, Mira, Master and the cats, looked around. As she spotted her, she waved her towards the table. "What is it Levy chan?"

"Remember the mission you went to? The Mystique Mansion one?" this got the interest of the whole group. "What is it, Levy? What about the mission?"

"Read this!" she handed her the paper. "Another casualty in the haunted city of Emzorde. The-" as Lucy read it, her eyes widened.

"Guys, remember we tried to find him that day, but he was suddenly missing? We even asked Jean and got to know he went missing around midnight? And we informed the Emzorde security before leaving? He has been found."

"What?"

"Yeah... this paper says so. But it says... Will Neville is dead."

"W-what? But how?"

"It doesn't say anything about that. It just says that... judging from his forensic reports, he had been dead for a long time... almost... a year."

* * *

Gray was still in the infirmary, lying on his back, looking at the ceiling as the time passed by. He couldn't sleep that night. Well, how could he, after the horrifying experience? All he did was act like being asleep and kept thinking.

He could hear the rambunctious bunch downstairs, screaming something about Will and death and year. Who cares about the old man anyway?

'_You should...'_ said a low voice in his head, giving him the chills.

And now he had a portable source of diplomacy at the subconscious level.

'What do you mean?'

*low chuckle*. _'Oh, how fun I had. That old man was so weak it was laughable.'_

'Why are you...? N-no way... don't tell me...'

'_Yes, dear Gray. I saw you that day replacing the papers. And from the looks of it, you just figured it out what has happened. And if you still want to confirm...'_

* * *

"How is that possible? We saw him, he himself... and... but... gah!" said an utterly perplexed Natsu. "Even the smell was of an alive living being!"

"Yeah" said Lucy. "Even Jean-luc said... he said his father had been acting peculiar, since his visit to the... the Mystique Mansion. W-what would that mean?"

"Maybe..." said Erza. "Remember Natsu said Jean-luc didn't smell like his father even if he looked like him?"

"What are you implying?"

"Is it... is it possible that he was also possessed?"

* * *

'_You got it right Gray. Will Neville had been possessed since a year.'_

* * *

"Possessed?" asked Levy. "What do you mean?"

"Actually, Levy chan..." Lucy explained everything about it to her – the mansion, the deadline and Gray's experience."

"And you are telling this to me now?" Levy practically shouted as she ran off to the library. "Lu-chan! Come with me."

The girls ran off, leaving the others dumbfounded. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing the Raijin Tribe.

"Oh, it was such a stupid mission. All I had to do was turn those guys into rocks." Evergreen said.

"I think we just overestimated the burglars, seeing the prize money." Freed said.

"Welcome back everyone!" Mira said as she handed them drinks. "Freed, Can we talk to yo-"

"Gray-san is awake!" Wendy said as she rushed down.

"Found it!" said Levy as she and Lucy rushed back.

"What happened to Gray?" Freed asked.

"Come with us Freed" said Mira as they all rushed upstairs, "we will explain there."

* * *

"I have a feeling he wanted to be alone." Erza said as they entered an empty infirmary, with windows open. "Natsu," she said in her commanding voice, "go search for him."

"What? Why me! I will no-" *death glare from Erza* "not leave him alone. Gray! I am coming!" and with that he, too, jumped down the window.

"So, Levy," Erza said as she turned to her, "what is this book about?"

"It is the book I got from the library for mira-san. I got it to know more about the mansion. Figures it was written by Drake Emzorde."

"W-wait a minute. Drake Emzorde, as in the greatest rune master? You totally need to fill me in here."

"Well actually blah blah blah" said Mira. [AN: Do you want me to actually fill half the page writing everything all over again? Do tell. I will edit it then]

"But where does he- no way..." said Freed. "So he actually managed to did the unattainable... Give me that book." He took it from Levy and examined it. And soon enough he had his fancy sword out and was engaged into unravelling the runes, emitting bright purple light. Meanwhile, Lucy looked around. Her gaze fell on a note on the bedside table.

"Hmm... It demands for his real name" said Freed.

"I guess that problem is solved," said Lucy. "Gray says 'Will-Possessed, Drake Wolcott, 3 days, Don't follow me.' I think we just disobeyed him." Lucy said.

Freed managed to unlock the book. "We just got exactly what we needed," he said.

* * *

"There you are, Droopy eyes."

"..." Gray was sitting under a tree and tried his best to ignore Natsu.

"Of all places, you got this riverbank to hide in?"

"..."

"Speak up, Gray!"

"Why are you here?"

"Erza sent me," Natsu said as he sat beside Gray on the riverbank. "You disobey her, you die."

"Yeah. Now get lost."

"I cannot, without taking you along with me. So, yeah. I stay till you stay."

"..." Natsu couldn't see he face.

"What happened?"

"Go away, Natsu." His voice was low.

"Not till you tell me." Natsu tried again.

"I said go away."

"Spill it out."

"I said GO AWAY NATSU!" and with that he pushed him away and tried to make a run for it, but Natsu tackled him to the ground. Gray's hands were pinned on his side before he could trigger his ice magic.

"Oh, for Mavis' sake, Natsu, Leave me alone!"

"Gray! Do you see me as your nakama or not?"

That stopped him from struggling under the hold of Natsu. And now that he stopped, Natsu could see him properly. His skin was paler than usual. He looked Tired. He had bags under his eyes and, since when had his eyes been this dark?

"... It was my house." Gray said as Natsu got off him. "Everything was dark. I could hear him from my room. And then... then there were mirrors. My reflection... It-it was me, but then it changed... my body, my face... my eyes. The eyes... they creep me out Natsu," his voice became hushed. "It was as if he was Imitating... no, as if I was his... reflection. Why me?"

'_...Cuz you are special... my dear boy...'_

His eyes widened. "What happened, Gray?" asked Natsu. But that was only heard by deaf ears.

'_...you passed the test, you got to be the one. And slayer blood was too foreign...'_

"_Please stop..."_

'_...this face, this body...'_

"_Make it stop."_

'_and most of all... this power...'_

"Natsu!"

"-ray! Gray! Oi, snap out of it!" Gray snapped his eyes open. He realised he was covering his ears, lying on the ground.

"Are you alright? Your smell changed... what happened?"

"I can hear him in my head... Natsu" he sounded as if he was on his breaking point.

"Shh... don't worry now Gray. We will get rid of it, him whatever. Levy... Levy has got books. Freed is back too. Don't worry Gray."

Slayer blood was too foreign... This meant if it wasn't him, it would have been the man in front of him... This meant he tried to get Natsu first. It could have been Natsu who would have been possessed.

So as Natsu continued to try to comfort him, he managed to calm himself down, thinking that at least this all meant saving Natsu from all this.

* * *

"I didn't think we would find these boys at the same riverbank where they fight." Erza said as she and Lucy saw the two rivals sleeping peacefully under the tree, Gray being held by Natsu.

"And we had to search the whole Magnolia for them." Lucy said. "Freed took a lot of time trying to figure it all out that we didn't realise it was this late. No wonder they are sleeping. It's almost midnight."

"Let's take them back to the guild. We may find a solution tomorrow." Erza said.

"Hey Natsu, wake up. Gray."

"..."

"Boys?"

"What happened, Lucy?"

"They are not waking up Erza..."

"What?"

They sat down and came to their level.

"Together."

As they opened their eyes, the only thing they could see was... Green.

* * *

**Boo!**

**So, all nakamanship fans here. Did you like the boys' friendship?**

**And also my dear fellow yaoi fangirls, did you enjoy the mini fluff? Can I actually write fluff then?**

**To all the dear readers, hope you enjoyed it! Please R&R, F&F!**

**DJ**


	8. Chapter 7

**FINALLY! Exams Over! Weeeeeee!**

***ahem***

**Thank you all for the reviews, follows and favourites. Please continue to support me! So, here! Chapter!**

**As you might have guessed, Freed kinda has a main-side role in the story. I find his powers truly amazing, cuz come on! Who doesn't want to do just anything by just runes? Sadly, like many others, he doesn't get enough credit. Sometimes I think it is the same for Gray too. So, yeah. Happy Freed day!**

**.-.**

**Don't mind me. Exam Hangover. ._. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own. *sulks over not owning Gray***

* * *

**Chapter 7 : Pain**

"Hmm," said Freed. "It gives all the information about the spell and its creation and all, but it doesn't tell anything about how to actually break it. Either he was too smart to not write it or was already... dead."

"Well," Mira put a strand of her hair behind her ear. "How did he possess anyone then?"

"According to this book, one needs a temporary vessel for the soul to be kept in temporarily till a capable... body reaches a certain room. It needs certain words to be said only by the bait in that room to activate it. Apparently, the words deciphered by the person in the room will be the number of days needed to actually possess the guy. It defines the bait's strength."

"So," Levy said, "Lu-chan said that this Will guy was acting strange as soon as he came out. Does that mean he was already... out of reach?"

"Probably. There are many accounts of different people he had tried to possess. And comparing these records, Gray has probably got the maximum deadline, which is probably because of his strength. And as for us, it is the deadline for us too."

The room was filled with a pregnant silence. Soon, Levy broke in, "but how would he decide his strength?"

"Simple. By the Underground Maze they encountered."

"But Erza said that they all reached the end of it!"

"Yeah, I think it must have been a competition then. Natsu and Gray were in the end but the words must have been spoken by Gray. And that's how... we might have reached at this point."

The eerie silence enveloped them again.

Finally, master spoke up, "I might sound really mean to say this, but, how was it not Natsu? He reached the end with him too. According to the girls, he was in the same room too, enveloped in the same clouds as Gray. And the boys have nearly the same amount of power inside them. as you describe the spell, even if the words were described by Gray, it affects the room."

"This, master, is the only thing I cannot understand. Maybe..." Freed thought, and then shook his head, "Maybe he selected him on how easily he could break a person to actually be able to possess him. So, it is basically the fight of wills that bought Gray and us some time. So, till his will is strong, he would be away from drake overpowering him."

"The only thing I can guarantee," Freed continued, "is that he won't harm him physically. So, till I find a solution to this problem with Levy, we have to help him to stay strong."

* * *

"W-where am I?" Gray looked around, only to find himself enveloped again in black clouds which were slowly taking shapes.

"G-Gray?" Gray whipped his head around, expecting Drake, but instead saw pink.

"N-Natsu? Is that really you? H-how-"

"I really don't know. But... but as I am here now, we might as well find a way out."

The black clouds soon formed vivid shapes. They were standing at the edge of a cliff. Behind them were forests and in front of them were the ruins of a very familiar old city.

"_There you are, Gray-chan,"_ said a low, intimidating voice from behind them. _"And look! You brought a friend!"_

Natsu turned around, only to find nothing. He turned to ask Gray, but found him preoccupied and looking at the scene ahead of him.

"_Remember something, Gray-chan? Remember what you did here to your beloved?"_

"Gray," Gray snapped out and looked at him, "where are we?"

"I-Isvan. S-some place near it. This...this is where we fought Deliora." Natsu's expression softened. But then they heard a low chuckle behind them. They turned around and found Drake, green eyes penetrating into the darkest corners of their souls.

"My dear Gray-chan, remember that fateful day? When your dear teacher casted Iced Shell? When Lyon woke up and threw those lovely words at you? Remember? The sadness, the guilt, and the Pain..."

"Shut up!" interrupted Natsu, "It wasn't Gray's fault! Stay away from us! Or else-"

"-What? You'll burn me? Oh, I am genuinely terrified," another chuckle. "That's why I hate slayers, always overconfident, going according to their instinct. Am I right, Gray-chan?"

"Teme..." Natsu sent the magic energy to his palms and... nothing happened.

"And impatient. Tch tch tch. This place is covered by magic runes. You cannot use magic here." He was suddenly beside Gray now, whose bangs covered his eyes. "This place is specially reserved for me," he said in a low, husky voice, "and my Gray-chan."

"You-" started Natsu, but Gray beat him to it. He punched Drake so hard he stumbled and fell right at the edge of the cliff.

"We can beat you without any magic." He said.

"Hehe, in that case," he turned to Natsu, "you are disturbing us, little dragon." And with that, he blasted him off the cliff.

"Natsu!"

* * *

"Natsu! Gray, wake up!" Lucy was on verge of tears. The girls had been trying to wake them up since they found them there. "E-Erza... what to do?!"

Then suddenly, Natsu's eyes snapped open. They were glowing green. In a robotic voice, he said, "L-Lucy, E-Erza... Gray and Drake... they are killing me... I cannot move..."

"W-what? Natsu-"

"Remove co-contact... Gray is after me... h-help..."

"Erza!"

"I don't know Lucy. It is Drake talking. I don't know if we should believe him. He might be lying."

"H-help... nngh... If you don't, I might... *cough* die..."

Lucy gasped and frantically tried to remove Gray from his grasp. Erza helped him. As she held up Gray, Lucy pulled Natsu away, and the connection between them snapped.

"G-Gray... where am I?" Natsu woke up and was squashed in a hug from Lucy. "You are safe Natsu. You said you were in danger from Gray and-"

"What... what are you talking about? Where is Gray?"

"He is still not conscious." Erza said.

Natsu turned to her, wide-eyed and said, "What are you saying? It is Gray who is in danger! I have to-"

Suddenly 'Gray' chuckled, "Dumbass."

The girls' eyes widened. They had fallen for it. "Gray...?" said Erza, uncertainly.

"Drake, Titania. And for Gray, you can have a glimpse." And with that, his body slumped against her again, eyes still open and staring into nothing.

* * *

"Natsu!" Gray ran to the edge of the cliff but Natsu was nowhere to be seen. Since when did gravity work so fast?

"He is gone, Gray-chan. He is awake."

"No... What... what did you do?"

"Sweet-talked the ladies."

"Wha-" But he was soon cut off by the creepers suddenly clutching him tightly. He tried to struggle, but soon stopped as the creepers clutched even tighter.

"W-What are you trying to do?" Gray tried to regulate his breathing.

"That's what I am asking Gray-_kun_," his voice changed at the last syllable. He slowly started to change form. Gray gasped as it changed into a middle-aged woman with dark short hair, disappointed expression, and green eyes as being the only giveaway.

"What were you trying to prove Gray? Even after we told you not to... why did you go after the monster?" Ur asked. "You thought you were strong? Che, you couldn't even create a proper shield!"

"Ur...?"

"You should have been the one who should have died. You shouldn't even have survived in the ruins itself!" Her lips formed a menacing smile as Gray's eyes widened. "I should have watched from above as you slowly died. Heck, I should have left you in the ruins to die!"

"What are you saying?!" but soon her appearance changed and soon, the sliverette was standing in front of him.

"Yeah, you killed Ur. You killed the only person who would have ever bothered to help you. You killed my guardian and my goals."

"Lyon..."

He slowly came closer to Gray, the same smile plastered on his face. "I should have killed you at the Galuna Island when I had the chance. I should have pierced you dark heart instead.

"S-stop..." Gray's voice was breaking now. His bangs covered his eyes.

"Not only did you kill Ur," his appearance changed and Ultear was standing in front of him, "You also nearly killed me. Today I am old and don't have any magic left just because of _you_." Tears now freely escaped his eyes.

"Stop it!"

"I should have let you die then, as those lovely wounds decorated you and you lied in your personal pool of blood. I should have thanked those dragons and your recklessness, instead of reversing one minute!"

Her silver sword appeared in her hands and she sliced at him. Gray fell down as the creepers were also cut down and clutched his bloodied shirt.

"But now it is time," said three voices of the Ice mages as Lyon and Ur reappeared, "to correct our mistakes." He backed away as an Ice Eagle sliced at his arm.

"We are gonna kill you, Gray Fullbuster!"

And that was his cue to run.

* * *

Natsu could hear everything in his mind- every taunt, every harsh word, every sob. He could see Gray's trembling form in front of him. But all he could do was stare and scream his name and he screamed and whimpered and shouted for help.

"Natsuuu!" Happy shouted from above him but he didn't care. All he could see was how the blood seeped through his shirt and how he kept shouting his, Erza's and even Lucy's name.

Soon Freed's, Master's and others' scent also joined Happy's. He vaguely felt Erza leaving her side and asking Freed to do something. The Great Titania was crying. Lucy had hands over her mouth and was staring wide-eyed, crying her eyes out at Gray's twitching and turning form. "Gray..."

"I... promised him to protect him..." Lucy looked at Natsu. "I told him I won't leave his side. And still... still..." A single tear escaped his eyes.

"N-Natsu..."

The others had reached there and Freed was frantically searching the book for something-anything. Then suddenly Gray said,

#

"... Natsu?" Gray was leaning against the tree. He had somehow managed to outrun the others. They just suddenly vanished. But then, "I thought... the cliff-"

"How pathetic." A voice came from behind Natsu. It was Erza.

"You are even weaker than me, Gray." Lucy, with her whip, joined.

Gray stared at them wide-eyed. This was not happening. Yeah. Someone was messing around. They were messing with him.

Soon the Ice mages also joined them. all with their deadliest spells and weapons ready.

"_Pathetic. Weak. Useless." "How do you live with yourself?" "You should be dead." "Freak." "Feel the helplessness inside." "You were never needed." "Feel all this."_

"_Feel the Pain."_

* * *

"Gray?" Natsu desperately tried, "Gray! Hang in there! Don't listen to them! Drake is tricking you, Gray!"

* * *

Pathetic. He was pathetic. Dead. That seemed like a good idea...

"M-minna..." Gray heard a distant familiar voice. He never heard it this way before. Eh just kept on staring ahead, not aware of what was happening, until, "Fire Dragon's..."

* * *

Gray's eyes snapped open. Natsu saw his blue eyes. It relieved as well as scared him. He expected fear, tears, anything. But there was nothing. No emotion at all.

The wounds on his body started closing and blood started disappearing. It was as if they never existed. All except the one on his hand, parallel to the one he got last night.

"G-Gray..." Those blue eyes stared at him. Gray expected the unfamiliar, robotic voice from before, not this sweet and caring one. He felt those thumbs caressing his face, wiping the tears.

Those orbs continued to stare into Natsu's eyes, as if waiting. And then the world around him started to spin and he fell into Natsu's waiting embrace.

* * *

**Aww... my poor Gray. I so damn wanted to describe torture scenes... but then I remembered I rated it T. Noooooo! *Sadistic side sitting in the emo corner, writing Gray's name on the walls with blood (red ink)***

**So, how was it? Hate it? Like it? Do tell! I love to hear from you Guys!**

**On the other hand, I have recently posted a new multi chaptered story- NeuroLink. A Gratsu yaoi fic with a touch of angst in it. Pls give it a try! I am currently working on its second chapter. Here's a Preview:**

In a world, where life is technology,

"Hey! Wait up!"

Where the basis of everything tech is the Mind-Connector,

"Run faster, slowpoke! Or we'll be late!"

Where exists a virtual world you can practically live in once you log in to the Global Net,

"Wait for me, Lucy!"

Is the world where their story starts.

"C'mon Natsu!"

**#**

"So, Natsu," started Lucy, as they entered her room. "Please stop me if I am wrong. Full Name: Natsu Igneel Dragneel. Male. Sexual preferences: Unknown." "Hey!" "using the Mind-Controller since being born. Top scorer in most of the Brain Burst games. One of the fastest accelerators. Am I correct?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then congratulations, Natsu. You are selected!"

"Selected? For what?"

"Connect with me. I am gonna install a game software in you." He did as he was said. "Transfer!" she said.

Soon, the downloading completed and another icon joined the other apps he had.

"NeuroLink." He read. "What's that?"

"I will tell you. First say 'Link In!'."

"Link In!" they both said simultaneously.

Then suddenly, everything around him stilled. Soon enough, by the scattering of pixels, i different world appeared. He was currently standing on the lake side, under a Sakura tree.

**#  
**"Ne, Lucy, how do i fight?"

"That, Natsu, you have to discover yourself."

"And what if I don't?"

"Well, sweet talk... and run."

"Oh."

She laughed. But then, he felt a chill behind his neck. Then suddenly, she shouted, "Natsu! Disconnect from Global net! It is a challe-"

But too late. He heard in the back of his mind, 'Direct Link' and then, everything disappeared into a vortex. The scene changed to some abandoned street. In front of him flashed his name "Salamander" and his lifeline and the command, "Fight!"

As he saw in front of him, the only glimpse he could catch was of black. His opponent was so fast! Maybe even faster than him!

And when he looked at the opponent's name, he was shocked beyond anything.

His opponent was none other than Black Ice.

* * *

**Aaaand there! Do give it a try minna! And don't forget this chapter too! I would love to hear it from you!**

**Till the next time then!**

**DJ**


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